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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Utah Gets All Jazzed For Finals State Residents Thrilled With Chance To Win Title

Ric Bucher San Jose Mercury News

It has been a strange, sometimes strained, love affair between the predominantly Mormon people of Utah and their NBA franchise, the Jazz, but like all odd couples, the resilience to stay together despite their differences has produced a bond thicker than, well, the local sodium level.

Which was amply demonstrated Friday in the hours after the Jazz clinched their first Western Conference title.

More than 15,000 fans met the Jazz’s chartered plane when it arrived home at 3 a.m., most of them carrying balloons, banners or accordions to greet their heroes.

“It was unreal,” power forward Karl Malone said. “I didn’t see one yawn in the whole crowd. We’ve come a long way… . I had chances to go elsewhere over the years, but I’m glad now that I stayed. I’m happy for the people of Utah. I’m happy to be a part of this.”

This is the same Jazz franchise that moved to Salt Lake City in 1979 after failing to outdraw Mardi Gras in New Orleans and never dropped the free-form musical moniker that is so incongruous to its current starched-collar climes.

This is the same franchise that once agreed to play selected dates in Las Vegas because it couldn’t draw at home. The same franchise that built itself around two players - Malone and John Stockton - long on talent but short on pizazz and refused to change course despite 12 years of falling short and predictions that a change was necessary.

All that seemed to be from another time Friday. The airwaves were jammed with replays of Stockton’s buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer Thursday night to clinch the series. Fans earned the right to buy tickets by a lottery system, and within 35 minutes the 3,000 tickets available had been sold. The Jazz phone system, overloaded by calls to the front offices, broke down. The general Salt Lake City phone system became inoperable shortly after the game with callers getting fast busy signals or recordings telling them that all circuits were busy when they tried to dial a number.

“It’s similar to what happens if there is a report of an earthquake or something, where everyone picks up the phone,” US West spokesman Duane Cooke told the Salt Lake City Deseret News.

But instead of lining up to get food and water and other essentials, Salt Lake City citizens clogged sports apparel stores selling Jazz caps, T-shirts and jerseys, especially those proclaiming the Jazz the conference champion.

“We opened an hour early and had 35 Western Conference champion hats,” said Gina McKenzie, an employee in Fanzz, a Jazz-owned apparel shop in a downtown mall. “We sold them in 10 minutes. On a Friday around 2 o’clock, we’ve usually made about $1,000, and in a day we might do $2,000 or $3,000. We’ve already done $20,000.”

This being Salt Lake City, of course, no police cars were turned over or windows smashed or anything set on fire. The most unruly event proved to be two teenagers running around in their underwear at the airport welcome-home party.

“It’s a wonderful day in Salt Lake,” said two white-haired ladies behind the counter of a downtown gift shop, and practically singing, added, “and we’re sure you know why.”